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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · rock · club · mine · root · lash · spell · trunk

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. root — of a word
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spell — letters
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — magic
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com